Dear Colleagues,

I'm enclosing information about our PhD Research Placement scheme which is now live for applications for 2018/9. I would be very grateful if you could pass the information on to anyone whom you think might be interested.

In our field I would particularly like to draw your attention to the projects on cataloguing the oriental (Persian and Arabic) manuscripts of Sir William Jones, and on Persian manucript illumination. More details are given in the descriptions on the website https://www.bl.uk/news/2019/january/phd-research-placements-2019. Besides giving the successful applicant a unique opportunity for access to the collections, these placements are ideal for those thinking of possibly working in a museum/library environment.

The closing date is 18th February 2019.

If anyone has further questions do please get in touch with me,

With best wishes,

Ursula Sims-Williams

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Call for Applications: British Library PhD Research Placements

We’re pleased to announce that the British Library is now accepting applications for PhD research placements in 2019-20. A wide range of projects are available and full details, including information on how to apply, is available here: https://www.bl.uk/news/2019/january/phd-research-placements-2019

Our PhD research placement scheme is designed to offer opportunities for current PhD students to apply and enhance research, communications and analytical skills and expertise outside of Higher Education as part of their wider research training and professional development. A PhD research placement at the

British Library offers the chance to experience research in a different environment to that of a university, to engage with a range of different research users and audiences, to gain insights into different potential postdoctoral career paths, and to make a tangible contribution to the activities and programmes of a

national library and major cultural organisation.

The application deadline is 5 pm on Monday, 18 February 2019.

Most placements can take place any time between May 2019 and March 2020 (any restrictions to this are specified in the individual placement profiles). Each placement is for 3 months full-time or (if feasible) the part-time equivalent.

For the current Call for Applications, the placement topics are (please see the website for detailed profiles):

• Art, poetry and memory: Contemporary UK Artists’ Books
• Chinese works of art in the British Library Visual Arts collections
• The Treasures of Danzan Ravjaa
• Identifying and using map images in born-digital collections
• Digitisation of archives: benefits and opportunities
• George Orwell's Collection of Political Pamphlets
• Greek Papyri of Late Antique Egypt
• Assessing the impact of the British Library’s major heritage acquisitions
• Life on the Home Front: Experiences of the Second World War in Britain
• Communicating international engagement at the British Library
• The ‘long tail’ of UK born-digital publications: What can we learn from legal deposit data?
• Illumination in Persian manuscripts
• Making the case for the national library – exploring the value of how collections are used
• Practice research at the British Library
• Historic photographs of the Silk Road
• Public policy development at the British Library: Soft Power and international working
• Taras Shevchenko at the British Library: Mapping and linking our collections
• Analysing topographical image making c. 1600-1824
• Trade Literature in the British Library collection
• The oriental manuscripts collection of Sir William Jones (1746-94)
• Women’s History Online Resources
• Exploring working-class writing at the British Library

If you have any questions please contact [log in to unmask].

With best wishes,